CHENNAI: England captain Andrew Strauss has won the toss and elected to bat in their crucial match against the West Indies in the World Cup Group B here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday. Weary England could see their exhausting five-month global road trip end today in a do-or-die World Cup showdown against the Windies. Victory will keep England’’s hopes of making the quarter-finals alive but defeat will send their opponents, as well as India and Bangladesh, into the last eight. England have endured a rollercoaster campaign. They defeated the Netherlands and South Africa, lost to Bangladesh and Ireland and tied with India. They know that even a win on Thursday may not be enough if other results on Saturday and Sunday work conspire against them. Their problems have been compounded by illness suffered by Strauss, key spinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad. The form of Ashes spearhead Jimmy Anderson, whose four wickets have cost 282 runs at an average of more than 70 apiece, is another distraction. Strauss said he hoped the make-or-break nature of Thursday’’s contest would see England raise their game. West Indies captain Darren Sammy hopes to make the most of coach Ottis Gibson’’s inside knowledge of England. Gibson spent more than two years as England’’s bowling coach before taking charge of the West Indies in January 2010. West Indies have been bolstered for this match by the return of dynamic opening batsman Chris Gayle, who missed their 44-run win against Ireland last time out with an abdominal strain. Unlike Group B, where only South Africa have so far assured qualification, all four qualifying spots in Group have been wrapped up by Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
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NEW DELHI: Weary England could see their exhausting five-month global road trip end on Thursday when they tackle a resurgent West Indies in a do-or-die World Cup showdown. Victory will keep England’’s hopes of making the quarter-finals alive but defeat will send their opponents, as well as India and Bangladesh, into the last eight. England captain Andrew Strauss dismissed the effects of fatigue on a squad which has been on the road virtually non-stop since October’’s departure for their successful Ashes campaign. “Fatigue is the last thing on our minds,” Strauss insisted ahead of the match in Chennai. “We know what the prize is and we are determined to make the most of our opportunity.” England have endured a rollercoaster campaign. They defeated the Netherlands and South Africa, lost to Bangladesh and Ireland and tied with India. They know that even a win on Thursday may not be enough if other results on Saturday and Sunday work conspire against them. Their problems have been compounded by illness suffered by Strauss, key spinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad. The form of Ashes spearhead Jimmy Anderson, whose four wickets have cost 282 runs at an average of more than 70 apiece, is another distraction. Strauss said he hoped the make-or-break nature of Thursday’’s contest would see England raise their game. “We have done well in big matches over the last couple of years. The equation is very simple and this isn”t a time to go into our shells — we have to go out there and take the West Indies on.” West Indies captain Darren Sammy hopes to make the most of coach Ottis Gibson’’s inside knowledge of England. Gibson spent more than two years as England’’s bowling coach before taking charge of the West Indies in January 2010. “He has a lot of information and has worked in a successful English team,” said Sammy. “Obviously we”ve been analysing the opposition. We”ll be looking to go out and exploit the weaknesses. “It’’s a good time to play England,” added Sammy. “They”ve been on the road for a long time. Apparently, they”ve been home for four days in five months. In order for them to stay, they”ve got to win or maybe some of them will want to go home to their families.” West Indies have been bolstered for this match by the return of dynamic opening batsman Chris Gayle, who missed their 44-run win against Ireland last time out with an abdominal strain. Unlike Group B, where only South Africa have so far assured qualification, all four qualifying spots in Group have been wrapped up by Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was looking forward to the champions being tested by Pakistan in their final group match in Colombo on Saturday. Australia, bidding for a fourth straight title, made it 34 games unbeaten at the World Cup with a seven-wicket thrashing of Canada in Bangalore on Wednesday.(AFP)
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By Raja Zahid A Khanzada Corespondent HOUSTON: The annual meeting of the esteemed Houston-Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA) was held at a local restaurant here, in which, the outgoing President Haroon Shaikh, by putting the prestigious pin of the association on the color of Saeed Sheikh, announced the results of the elections of HKSCA, in which the Executive Board and Members of Board of Directors got elected unopposed for the next two years. It must be mentioned that in the past whenever Saeed Sheikh has taken any responsibility in the community, his performance has always been diligent. HKSCA started in the Year 2009 when the Mayor of Houston Bill White and the then Nazim-e-Aala of Karachi Mustafa Kamal signed the enactment papers. The Executive Council members, who are also members besides 6 others on the Board of Directors, and Committee Chairs (who have been appointed by the incoming President) include: Saeed Sheikh President; Dr. Barkat Ali Charania Vice President; Salman Khan General Secretary; and Azam Akhtar Treasurer – Other 6 Members of Board of Directors: M. J. Khan; Haroon Sheikh; Nasru Rupani; David Godwin; Mohammad Zaheer; Syed Neiyyar Izfar – Chairpersons Public Relations Khalid Kazi; Trade Commerce Sajjad Sheikh; Professional/Technical Dr. Farooq Baloch; Publications Amir Maqsood Khan; and Liaison M. Amir Khan. Election results were announced by the Honorary Legal Counsel Syed Neiyyar Izfar, who informed that according to the Charter–Bylaws of HKSCA, the Board of Directors can be elected for a two-year term. All the members of the existing board have been elected for the second time, as such next time in 2013; a totally new Board will be required. Idea is to infuse new blood.
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PALLEKELE: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said Sunday that struggling wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and his younger brother Umar would both will play against Zimbabwe on Monday. There has been confusion over the Akmal brothers ever since the 110-run defeat against New Zealand last week, with elder brother Kamran spilling two crucial chances to dismiss century-maker Ross Taylor. Pakistan considered using Umar Akmal, Kamran’’s younger brother, as a makeshift keeper but abandoned those plans after he suffered a finger injury. There were reports in Pakistani media that Umar had feigned injury to help Kamran keep his place, speculation denied by team management. On Sunday Umar sprained his right ankle while playing football but Afridi confirmed the injury was not serious. “He (Umar) is fit, it is a light injury. He fielded today and looked better, so definitely he will play tomorrow,” said Afridi of Umar, who also took part in light practice. Afridi admitted there was no better option than going back to Kamran as wicket-keeper. “Kamran’’s performance in batting hasn”t been bad but, yes, he is struggling with his keeping. He is working very hard, and we haven”t got such an option in the squad to whom we can give a chance in this tournament. “Kamran has been working hard for four days. He has support and our confidence, he seems a better choice. I think he knows the mistakes he has committed and he will try to cover it for sure and will perform,” said Afridi. Afridi said there were no negative thoughts in the dressing room. “We are just focusing on day by day and game by game and if we win against Zimbabwe the dressing room atmosphere will be better and positive. A win always gives you confidence,” said Afridi. The skipper said he hoped his batsmen, especially the top order, did not repeat the mistakes they made in the match against New Zealand. “At the moment our plan is not to lose wickets and be positive. I have already told them to play to your strengths, like you play in domestic cricket, play like that. “Over the last couple of days the openers have worked really hard and the coaches have worked hard with them as well. The results will hopefully come and realising the importance of the match I am confident that they will perform,” said Afridi. A win for Pakistan, with six points from four matches, would take them through to the quarter-finals.
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NEW DELHI: England can deliver a potentially fatal bodyblow to Bangladesh’’s World Cup dreams on Friday and virtually ensure their place in the quarter-finals. Andrew Strauss’’s side, reeling from the double loss through injury of batting superstar Kevin Pietersen and strike bowler Stuart Broad, have endured a rollercoaster campaign. A win over the Netherlands was followed by a tie against India, a shock defeat to Ireland and a tense, gritty six-run win over South Africa where they defended just 171. Bangladesh, hoping to exploit spin-friendly conditions by playing all of their group games on home soil, have been in turmoil, losing two of their three matches so far. Last week’’s nine-wicket loss to West Indies, when they were bowled out for a paltry 58, sparked violence and demonstrations in the streets as fans raged against a team who had high hopes of making the last eight. Defeat on Friday will leave the Tigers needing to beat South Africa to have any chance of staying in the competition while also hoping other results go their way. “The boys are tense, but they are also confident that they can put up a good show,” said Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan ahead of the day-night Group B game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Chittagong. “We have prepared well for the game. We have worked hard in the last few days. I have tried to take the pressure on myself, so it eases the pressure on them.” Strauss is staying tight-lipped over his new opening partner for the game following the loss of Pietersen, who returned home to undergo hernia surgery The free-scoring Pietersen revelled in his new position, contributing to stands of 105, 68 and 91 in the first three games. “I am very clear in my mind who will open, but will not say before the game has started,” Strauss said. The choice is likely to be limited to Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara or wicket-keeper Matt Prior. West Indies can help England’’s cause, as well as their own, by beating Ireland in Mohali in the early Group B game. Wins for West Indies and England will guarantee Strauss’’s team a last eighth place.
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PALLEKELE: New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee said Sunday that in-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq was in his sights for the match between the Group A rivals on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Pakistan batsman was in prime form on his side’’s recent tour of New Zealand, making 203 runs in four innings to help Pakistan secure a series win and has continued to score runs at the World Cup. Misbah scored 65 against Kenya, 83 not out against Sri Lanka and 37 against Canada, playing a key role in his team’’s three wins in as many matches. “He has obviously been having a great period not just against New Zealand but also in the World Cup,” said Southee. “Hopefully, we have learnt from the way we bowled against him in New Zealand and we can work on a couple of things to try and put an end to the form he is in, also (Shahid) Afridi and a couple of other guys who are standing up in key moments in games.” Southee said his team had put the defeat against Australia earlier in the competition behind them and were focusing on Pakistan in Pallekele. “It’’s been mixed results so far, we”ve had two convincing wins but obviously you can”t dwell on the loss to Australia,” said Southee. New Zealand, who have beaten Kenya and Zimbabwe, both by ten wickets, are on four points from three matches, fourth in the table behind Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. “We learnt from that game and moved on and we showed that in the game against Zimbabwe. It’’s a tournament where you can”t dwell on things too much. You”ve got to move on and take each game as it comes,” said Southee, who has seven wickets in this World Cup. The paceman said he relishes the challenge of getting into the final eleven. “You”re never really safe in a side where you have guys like Kyle Mills coming back and playing outstandingly and it wasn”t that long ago when he was number one in the world. “It’’s good to have that competitiveness amongst the bowlers. That’’s a healthy thing but I guess your spot is never cemented in the side,” said Southee, who admitted learning from tours of Bangladesh and India last year. “We were lucky that a majority of the side came over and we played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent and although the results didn”t go our way and weren”t that great I think we learnt a lot on those tours,” he said. (AFP)
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KARACHI: Pakistan’’s former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan has said this year’’s tournament is the most open he has seen. Imran, who skippered Pakistan to victory in 1992, said the opening matches in the Feb 19-April 2 tournament being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had highlighted the fact that no team stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field. “This is perhaps the most wide open World Cup I have seen and after the results of the India and England match and the way Ireland upset England I don”t think there are any clear favourites,” he said on Friday. Ireland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the 36-year history of the event by beating England by three wickets on Wednesday in Bangalore after being set 328 to win. England and co-hosts India tied on Sunday. “The pitches in all three countries will support the batsmen more as the month progresses and it is very hot and humid at this time of the year. So you need to have maximum wicket-taking bowlers in your side to do well,” he said. PURE PACE He pointed out that India’’s bowling was exposed in their game against England. “Teams which don”t have variety and pure pace in their bowling and prefer to rely more on batting all-rounders are already facing problems,” he added. The former cricketer-turned politician felt that Ireland were capable of causing more upsets in Group B before the quarter-finals. Kevin O”Brien scored the fastest ever World Cup century in 50 balls. “The century by Kevin O”Brien was one of the best one-day innings I have seen in my life. The Irish are a fighting unit and I don”t think you can rule them out of contention by any stretch of the imagination,” Imran said. “Teams which have the mental strength to chase down 300 plus totals have to be respected.” He said Pakistan’’s shoddy performance against Canada on Thursday which they only won by 46 runs was a wake-up call for the players but still backed his compatriots to make the quarter-finals. “To me the real contests will start from the knockout stage. I think the International Cricket Council (ICC) need to rethink the format for future World Cups.” Imran said the ICC needed to help associate members build up domestic structures in their countries rather than just providing them opportunities to play in international competition. “Unless these minnows don”t have proper domestic cricket they can”t come up,” he said. The ICC said before the tournament started that it would reduce the number of teams playing from 14 to 10 for the next edition in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. (Reuters)
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MOL Hungarian announced successful test results in the Tolanj X-1 exploration well. Oil and gas have been encountered in the exploratory well, Tolanj X-1, which is being drilled in TAL Block, …
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CAIRO: Egypt’’s military rulers are expected on Tuesday to step up efforts to restore stability, hoping a promise of a swift transition to democracy will prevent a new flare-up in the protests which forced out Hosni Mubarak. Facing a wave of strikes, the military rulers held talks on Monday with young activists who were at the forefront of the uprising which ousted president Mubarak on Friday. Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who had been detained for his part in the uprising, said members of the military council had told him a plebiscite would be held on constitutional amendments in two months. British Foreign Secretary William Hague also said Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik had let him know that he would reshuffle his cabinet in the coming week to bring in opposition figures. But with anger still smoldering over rising prices and economic hardship, the military face a difficult balancing act in restoring stability while allaying deep suspicions about its readiness to relinquish power. Using their new-found freedom of expression and protest, workers on Monday rallied in Cairo and other cities to complain about low pay and poor working conditions. Protests, sit-ins and strikes have occurred at state-owned institutions across Egypt, including the stock exchange, textile and steel firms, media groups, the postal services and railways. Pro-democracy leaders also say Egyptians will demonstrate again if their demands for radical change are not met. They plan a big “Victory March” on Friday to celebrate the revolution. The ruling Higher Military Council urged workers on Monday to return to work. In “Communique No. 5″ read out on state television, a military spokesman said: “Noble Egyptians see that these strikes, at this delicate time, lead to negative results.” The military rulers have promised free and fair elections, suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament. On Monday they appointed retired judge Tareq al-Bishry, respected in legal circles for his independent views, to head a committee set up to propose constitutional changes. But the military has given no timetable for elections beyond saying it would be in charge “for a temporary period of six months or until the end of elections to the upper and lower houses of parliament, and presidential elections.” Existing registered parties are mostly small, weak and fragmented. The Muslim Brotherhood, which under the now suspended constitution could not form a party, may be the best organized group but its true popularity has yet to be tested. Other parties need at least a year for an election, said one politician who struggled to found a party under Mubarak. “If parliamentary elections happen now, the only party ready to go into elections are the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Abou Elela Mady, who broke away from the Brotherhood in the 1990s.(Reuters)
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WASHINGTON: Top US diplomat Hillary Clinton hailed the “courage” and “aspirations” of anti-government protests in Iran on Monday, and pressed Tehran to follow Egypt’’s example and “open up” its political system. “We wish the opposition and the brave people in the streets across cities in Iran the same opportunity that they saw their Egyptian counterparts seize in the last week,” the secretary of state told reporters during a visit to Congress. “We support the universal rights of the Iranian people. They deserve to have the same rights” as those demanded by protesters who helped oust Egypt’’s Hosni Mubarak “and that are part of their own birthright.” Clinton spoke after Iranian riot police fired tear gas and paintballs at protesters staging anti-government demonstrations in Tehran under the pretext of rallies supporting Arab uprisings, websites and witnesses said. Police moved in when crowds of opposition supporters gathered in the capital’’s Azadi (Freedom) Square began chanting “Death to the Dictator!” — a slogan hurled at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after disputed official results from a 2009 presidential election gave him a second term. “We are against violence and we would call to account the Iranian government that is once again using its security forces and resorting to violence to prevent the free expression of ideas from their own people,” said Clinton. “We think that there needs to be a commitment to open up the political system in Iran to hear the voices of the opposition and civil society.” The anti-government demonstrations, held despite a ban on rallies, were the first in Tehran since February 11, 2010, when activists took to the streets to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. (AFP)
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